5 teams that could try to steal Vance Joseph from the Broncos

Is it possible that a defensive coordinator whose unit allowed 70 points in a game earlier this season could be a coveted head coach candidate? It's absolutely possible. It's expected that there could be at least seven NFL teams searching for a new head coach, potentially as many as 10 or 11. As crazy as it would be to see nearly a third of the league searching for a new head coach, it might be equally crazy for Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph to get considered to be a head coach again.

But that's how good Joseph's defense has been over the course of the last nine games. Since the defense allowed 30 points per game in the first four weeks of the season (including the 70-point outing against the Dolphins), they have averaged allowing just 16.9 points per game in the nine games that followed. That includes giving up just 24 points against the New York Jets, though the Jets scored 31 thanks to a fumble recovered for a touchdown.

Think about that. For 9-of-13 games this season the Denver Broncos' defense has played at that dominant of a level. If that were their overall season average of points allowed per game, it would rank third in the entire NFL behind San Francisco (15.8 PPG/allowed) and Baltimore (16.8 PPG/allowed). For the majority of the season, we've seen Joseph's defense playing at an elite level. What teams could end up trying to steal him from Denver?

1. Los Angeles Chargers

Could the Los Angeles Chargers try to steal from a division rival? It's possible. The Chargers just fired one former Denver Broncos assistant -- Brandon Staley -- as the head coach of their team after a disastrous 2023. Although it crossed over two different seasons, the Chargers lost an embarrassing playoff game in which they led by 27 points in January, then on Thursday they just lost to the Raiders 63-21.

Vance Joseph has not only done a great job calling defense for the Broncos for most of this year, but what he's really known best for is being a great leader and player's coach. Although things didn't work out great in his time with the Broncos as a head coach, players really liked Vance Joseph and that continues to be the case. The Chargers might need a head coach the players will truly rally around.